Loprang people quenching thirst with rain water

By Amar Raj Naharki,Tanahun, July 6: There are only 30 households at Loprang Village in Ward No. 4 of Anbukhaireni Rural Municipality of Tanahun district. The majority of the houses in the village are made in traditional Nepali style: one or two-storey houses made of wood and mud with tin roofs.

Other than the similarity in the houses, another similarity can be sighted in the village this monsoon. 

As soon as it rains, villagers can be seen placing every possible utensil that can store water beneath the dripping edges of the tin roofs. The struggle is to collect as much water as they can when it rains.

"There is now no water in the village since the water source was buried by a landslide four days ago. We went to repair the source, but it is nowhere to be found due to the disaster," said Milan Bhujel, ward chairman of Ward No. 4.

The landslide in the water source is said to be a result of the construction of a motorable road to Chhimkeshwori. 

In lack of water, the villagers of Loprang have been bound to quench their thirst with rainwater collected from the tin roofs. 

Meanwhile, authorities informed that necessary financial and technical support was underway to solve the problem.

"A technical team has been deployed at the source site by coordinating with the local level. Similarly, the Gandaki Province government has allocated Rs. 1.5 million and the rural municipality will manage the rest," said Bhujel.

However, technicians deployed at the water source site said repair works with a mere Rs. 1.5 million would not be possible.

"As there is no water on the tap for days, we wait for rain. As soon as it rains, we collect them in every possible container. We use it to quench our own thirst and cook our food alongside fodder for cattle," said Suk Bahadur Gurung, a local of Loprang.

While it has been raining for now, locals have argued that a day without rain could affect their lives. The only other option would be to walk for two hours for water. 

"It is why we need a long-term solution to the problem. A large water tank should be constructed as soon as the water source gets repaired," said Prithvi Bhujel, a villager who works as a teacher.

"Repair works on the water source are underway to solve the problem of water scarcity in Loprang at the earliest," said Shukra Chuman, chairman of Anbukhaireni Rural Municipality.